Send me email updates about messages I've received on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.
By signing up, you certify that you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
Privacy Policy.

Spend 10 minutes on the phone with Dr. Susan Robinson, an obstetrician-gynecologist who specializes in providing women with third-trimester abortions, and the name Aron Ralston will invariably come up. He's the mountain climber who was trapped in a canyon in Utah after a boulder crushed his right hand. He was pinned down by the boulder for five days (the film "127 Hours" is based on his story) until he realized the only way he could get free would be to cut off his hand.

It's a graphic, horrific image, but Robinson says it's the best analogy she can think of to describe women who are pregnant in their third trimester and "have thought about it deeply, consulted their conscience, wrestled with the ethics, and decided the best thing for themselves and their families is to have an abortion."

"People think you choose an abortion like you choose red or green shoes, or a flavor of ice cream," Robinson told ABC News. "But in fact, they [the women I see] need an abortion the way Aron Ralston needed to cut his hand off."

Robinson is one of four doctors featured in the documentary "After Tiller," which screened at the Sundance Film Festival this past weekend. "A#Sundance first: security guards checking bags and wanding people before abortion documentary 'After Tiller,'" tweeted Sean Means, movie critic for The Salt Lake Tribune.

The film takes its name from Dr. George Tiller, a third-trimester abortion provider in Wichita, Kan., who was assassinated in May 2009 while attending church. Robinson worked with Tiller, as did Shelley Sella, who worked as a midwife before becoming a doctor and abortion provider, and is also featured in the film. The two now operate out of a clinic in Albuquerque.

"We learned at his knee," said Robinson, speaking of Tiller. "Kindness, courtesy, justice, love and respect are the hallmarks of a good doctor-patient relationship. People tell me every single day, 'Dr. Robinson, you've given me my life back.' For these women it is life or death. Many women try to self-abort. The less available it is, the poor will have the hardest time."

A Red-Hot Issue

If abortion is a hot-button political issue, then third-trimester abortion is red-hot, and such words as "kindness" and "respect" are not two that leap to mind for many people. The arrest two years ago of Philadelphia doctor Kermit Gosnell, accused of killing a woman with a lethal dose of Demerol, put a gruesome face on doctors performing third-trimester abortions. Police, searching his office, found what prosecutors called "a house of horrors," bags and bottles of aborted fetuses scattered throughout the building, a place where fetuses were delivered live and then killed with scissors.

Even many supporters of abortion rights draw a line at third-trimester abortions. A 2011 Gallup poll showed that making abortion illegal in the last trimester got strong support from both pro-choice (79 percent) and pro-life advocates (94 percent). Laws passed in 41 states prohibit abortions, except to protect the woman's life, after a certain point in the pregnancy, usually fetal viability (about 24 weeks). In the U.S., 88 percent of abortions are done in the first 12 weeks, according to the Guttmacher Institute; fewer than 1 percent are in the third trimester.

I disagree. As I explained in another post dealing with the life of a fetus, up until the point of viability (typically around 24 weeks), and particularly at an early stage of development, an embryo/fetus is very similar to a person in a vegetative state on total life support. We don't condemn families for choosing to remove such people from life support, despite the fact that eventually that person *may* recover, nor do we accuse the medical professionals who remove said persons from life support to be "murderers". This is exactly how I feel about abortions before the point of viability. It is human, yes, and very technically alive, however, said embryo or fetus requires constant life support in order to stand any chance at all of surviving, and I refuse to condemn people who choose to remove that life support.

Once that person has reached a point that he or she can survive on his or her own, I feel they are deserving of every protection afforded to a person, including the basic right to life, including food and medical/supportive care.

Thus, I draw the line at viability.

*As a matter of record, I have never had an abortion. My family is very pro-life, with me being the exception. In fact, my twin sister was the vice president of Hiram College's chapter of Right To Life years ago. Once upon a time, I was staunchly pro-life, probably more so than you. My views evolved to what they are now over many years, many debates, and a lot of research on abortion.

Quoting LoganTroyMom:

How is it any different than an 8 week developed baby? Is a woman only a little pregnant for the first few months? it's still in her body. her body her choice right?

abortion is wrong at any stage of development. to say otherwise is dehumanizing and hypocritical.

you said it yourself- to kill a baby is murder. a newly developing baby is no less a baby than one at 28 weeks. we are not- should not be, rather- a community that judges the right to live on how closely one reselmbles an "ideal" person.

Quoting radioheid:

Once you reach the third trimester, you're carrying a baby. Period. And to kill a baby is murder. End of story. There is absolutely no excuse. These people are professional murderers.

the difference is that baby has not had the right to live at all, and in contrast of being in a vegitative state, the most likely outcome is a healthy newborn, NOT the same.

i used to be pro choice, and my opinion has evolved due to years of debates and research, as well as having children.

killing a baby before the time of viability is simply beating it to the punchline. yeah, kill it before it has ANY chance. totally humane.

Quoting radioheid:

I disagree. As I explained in another post dealing with the life of a fetus, up until the point of viability (typically around 24 weeks), and particularly at an early stage of development, an embryo/fetus is very similar to a person in a vegetative state on total life support. We don't condemn families for choosing to remove such people from life support, despite the fact that eventually that person *may* recover, nor do we accuse the medical professionals who remove said persons from life support to be "murderers". This is exactly how I feel about abortions before the point of viability. It is human, yes, and very technically alive, however, said embryo or fetus requires constant life support in order to stand any chance at all of surviving, and I refuse to condemn people who choose to remove that life support.

Once that person has reached a point that he or she can survive on his or her own, I feel they are deserving of every protection afforded to a person, including the basic right to life, including food and medical/supportive care.

Thus, I draw the line at viability.

*As a matter of record, I have never had an abortion. My family is very pro-life, with me being the exception. In fact, my twin sister was the vice president of Hiram College's chapter of Right To Life years ago. Once upon a time, I was staunchly pro-life, probably more so than you. My views evolved to what they are now over many years, many debates, and a lot of research on abortion.

Quoting LoganTroyMom:

How is it any different than an 8 week developed baby? Is a woman only a little pregnant for the first few months? it's still in her body. her body her choice right?

abortion is wrong at any stage of development. to say otherwise is dehumanizing and hypocritical.

you said it yourself- to kill a baby is murder. a newly developing baby is no less a baby than one at 28 weeks. we are not- should not be, rather- a community that judges the right to live on how closely one reselmbles an "ideal" person.

Quoting radioheid:

Once you reach the third trimester, you're carrying a baby. Period. And to kill a baby is murder. End of story. There is absolutely no excuse. These people are professional murderers.

the difference is that baby has not had the right to live at all, and in contrast of being in a vegitative state, the most likely outcome is a healthy newborn, NOT the same.

i used to be pro choice, and my opinion has evolved due to years of debates and research, as well as having children.

killing a baby before the time of viability is simply beating it to the punchline. yeah, kill it before it has ANY chance. totally humane.

Quoting radioheid:

I disagree. As I explained in another post dealing with the life of a fetus, up until the point of viability (typically around 24 weeks), and particularly at an early stage of development, an embryo/fetus is very similar to a person in a vegetative state on total life support. We don't condemn families for choosing to remove such people from life support, despite the fact that eventually that person *may* recover, nor do we accuse the medical professionals who remove said persons from life support to be "murderers". This is exactly how I feel about abortions before the point of viability. It is human, yes, and very technically alive, however, said embryo or fetus requires constant life support in order to stand any chance at all of surviving, and I refuse to condemn people who choose to remove that life support.

Once that person has reached a point that he or she can survive on his or her own, I feel they are deserving of every protection afforded to a person, including the basic right to life, including food and medical/supportive care.

Thus, I draw the line at viability.

*As a matter of record, I have never had an abortion. My family is very pro-life, with me being the exception. In fact, my twin sister was the vice president of Hiram College's chapter of Right To Life years ago. Once upon a time, I was staunchly pro-life, probably more so than you. My views evolved to what they are now over many years, many debates, and a lot of research on abortion.

Quoting LoganTroyMom:

How is it any different than an 8 week developed baby? Is a woman only a little pregnant for the first few months? it's still in her body. her body her choice right?

abortion is wrong at any stage of development. to say otherwise is dehumanizing and hypocritical.

you said it yourself- to kill a baby is murder. a newly developing baby is no less a baby than one at 28 weeks. we are not- should not be, rather- a community that judges the right to live on how closely one reselmbles an "ideal" person.

Quoting radioheid:

Once you reach the third trimester, you're carrying a baby. Period. And to kill a baby is murder. End of story. There is absolutely no excuse. These people are professional murderers.

It's interesting to listen to people on this issue. I am like you but opposite. I was very against abortion when I was younger. As I got older, and knew more and more women who had abortions and their reasons, and found people who needed and chose not to have abortions and died, and learned more about the differences between sentient and non sentient life, and how important it was to protect choice for women who's lives depended on it, I was much better at putting it into perspective for myself. I came down on the side of protecting born sentient women. In a case of competing rights, I side with those already born.

no, you are putting the right to do what you want above the right to be alive.

Quoting romalove:

Quoting LoganTroyMom:

the difference is that baby has not had the right to live at all, and in contrast of being in a vegitative state, the most likely outcome is a healthy newborn, NOT the same.

i used to be pro choice, and my opinion has evolved due to years of debates and research, as well as having children.

killing a baby before the time of viability is simply beating it to the punchline. yeah, kill it before it has ANY chance. totally humane.

Quoting radioheid:

I disagree. As I explained in another post dealing with the life of a fetus, up until the point of viability (typically around 24 weeks), and particularly at an early stage of development, an embryo/fetus is very similar to a person in a vegetative state on total life support. We don't condemn families for choosing to remove such people from life support, despite the fact that eventually that person *may* recover, nor do we accuse the medical professionals who remove said persons from life support to be "murderers". This is exactly how I feel about abortions before the point of viability. It is human, yes, and very technically alive, however, said embryo or fetus requires constant life support in order to stand any chance at all of surviving, and I refuse to condemn people who choose to remove that life support.

Once that person has reached a point that he or she can survive on his or her own, I feel they are deserving of every protection afforded to a person, including the basic right to life, including food and medical/supportive care.

Thus, I draw the line at viability.

*As a matter of record, I have never had an abortion. My family is very pro-life, with me being the exception. In fact, my twin sister was the vice president of Hiram College's chapter of Right To Life years ago. Once upon a time, I was staunchly pro-life, probably more so than you. My views evolved to what they are now over many years, many debates, and a lot of research on abortion.

Quoting LoganTroyMom:

How is it any different than an 8 week developed baby? Is a woman only a little pregnant for the first few months? it's still in her body. her body her choice right?

abortion is wrong at any stage of development. to say otherwise is dehumanizing and hypocritical.

you said it yourself- to kill a baby is murder. a newly developing baby is no less a baby than one at 28 weeks. we are not- should not be, rather- a community that judges the right to live on how closely one reselmbles an "ideal" person.

Quoting radioheid:

Once you reach the third trimester, you're carrying a baby. Period. And to kill a baby is murder. End of story. There is absolutely no excuse. These people are professional murderers.

It's interesting to listen to people on this issue. I am like you but opposite. I was very against abortion when I was younger. As I got older, and knew more and more women who had abortions and their reasons, and found people who needed and chose not to have abortions and died, and learned more about the differences between sentient and non sentient life, and how important it was to protect choice for women who's lives depended on it, I was much better at putting it into perspective for myself. I came down on the side of protecting born sentient women. In a case of competing rights, I side with those already born.

no, you are putting the right to do what you want above the right to be alive.

Quoting romalove:

Quoting LoganTroyMom:

the difference is that baby has not had the right to live at all, and in contrast of being in a vegitative state, the most likely outcome is a healthy newborn, NOT the same.

i used to be pro choice, and my opinion has evolved due to years of debates and research, as well as having children.

killing a baby before the time of viability is simply beating it to the punchline. yeah, kill it before it has ANY chance. totally humane.

Quoting radioheid:

I disagree. As I explained in another post dealing with the life of a fetus, up until the point of viability (typically around 24 weeks), and particularly at an early stage of development, an embryo/fetus is very similar to a person in a vegetative state on total life support. We don't condemn families for choosing to remove such people from life support, despite the fact that eventually that person *may* recover, nor do we accuse the medical professionals who remove said persons from life support to be "murderers". This is exactly how I feel about abortions before the point of viability. It is human, yes, and very technically alive, however, said embryo or fetus requires constant life support in order to stand any chance at all of surviving, and I refuse to condemn people who choose to remove that life support.

Once that person has reached a point that he or she can survive on his or her own, I feel they are deserving of every protection afforded to a person, including the basic right to life, including food and medical/supportive care.

Thus, I draw the line at viability.

*As a matter of record, I have never had an abortion. My family is very pro-life, with me being the exception. In fact, my twin sister was the vice president of Hiram College's chapter of Right To Life years ago. Once upon a time, I was staunchly pro-life, probably more so than you. My views evolved to what they are now over many years, many debates, and a lot of research on abortion.

Quoting LoganTroyMom:

How is it any different than an 8 week developed baby? Is a woman only a little pregnant for the first few months? it's still in her body. her body her choice right?

abortion is wrong at any stage of development. to say otherwise is dehumanizing and hypocritical.

you said it yourself- to kill a baby is murder. a newly developing baby is no less a baby than one at 28 weeks. we are not- should not be, rather- a community that judges the right to live on how closely one reselmbles an "ideal" person.

Quoting radioheid:

Once you reach the third trimester, you're carrying a baby. Period. And to kill a baby is murder. End of story. There is absolutely no excuse. These people are professional murderers.

It's interesting to listen to people on this issue. I am like you but opposite. I was very against abortion when I was younger. As I got older, and knew more and more women who had abortions and their reasons, and found people who needed and chose not to have abortions and died, and learned more about the differences between sentient and non sentient life, and how important it was to protect choice for women who's lives depended on it, I was much better at putting it into perspective for myself. I came down on the side of protecting born sentient women. In a case of competing rights, I side with those already born.

I see it as a competing right.

I know two people who had cancer diagnosis during pregnancy. Don't they have the right to choose to live?

Because at 8wks it is like a parasite and can only survive by being attached to its host its mother. At 28wks it is completely viable and no longer needs a host to survive making it murder.

Quoting LoganTroyMom:

How is it any different than an 8 week developed baby? Is a woman only a little pregnant for the first few months? it's still in her body. her body her choice right?

abortion is wrong at any stage of development. to say otherwise is dehumanizing and hypocritical.

you said it yourself- to kill a baby is murder. a newly developing baby is no less a baby than one at 28 weeks. we are not- should not be, rather- a community that judges the right to live on how closely one reselmbles an "ideal" person.

Quoting radioheid:

Once you reach the third trimester, you're carrying a baby. Period. And to kill a baby is murder. End of story. There is absolutely no excuse. These people are professional murderers.

Send me email updates about messages I've received on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.
By signing up, you certify that you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
Privacy Policy.